GROWING AND DEVELOPING FEMALE PARTICIPATION IN A SPORTS CLUB

This is Week 5 in my series exploring 10 areas covered in my book, with practical ideas for grassroots sports clubs

WEEK 5 – GROWING AND DEVELOPING FEMALE PARTICIPATION

How well does your club support women and girls to get involved and keep playing?

If you want to increase female participation, consider:

  • What barriers currently prevent women and girls from participating?
  • Are your facilities appropriate and welcoming?
  • Do women and girls have fair access to training times, equipment and coaching?
  • Are women represented among your coaches and on your committee or board?
  • Have you asked women and girls what they want from your club?

Starting a girls’ or women’s programme takes commitment. Sustaining it means making sure participants enjoy the experience, feel part of the club and have opportunities to develop.

Five practical tips for growing and developing female participation

1. Start with research.

Speak to women and girls already involved in your club, those who have left and those who have never joined. What would encourage them to take part? Ask about session times, costs, confidence and the activities they would enjoy. Don’t assume women and girls of different ages all want the same experience. Explore interest in coaching, volunteering and committee roles too.

2. Make the first session easy to attend.

Offer beginner sessions or bring-a-friend opportunities, and promote them through local schools and community groups. Explain what to expect, what to wear, how much it costs and who will welcome newcomers. Have someone ready to greet them and introduce them to others.

3. Act on the barriers participants identify.

Use the feedback to make specific changes. These might include fairer training times, greater privacy in changing facilities and ensuring access to suitable kit and equipment. Review how coaches support beginners and build their confidence. Agree who will take responsibility for each improvement and tell participants what you have changed.

4. Support more women and girls to coach and lead.

Invite females to help shape the club and take on coaching, volunteering and committee roles. Make the opportunities clear, ask what support is needed and offer training, mentoring and flexibility to help them get started. Give them a meaningful say in club decisions.

5. Give people reasons to return.

Create sessions where participants feel welcome, make friends and develop at their own pace. Offer recreational and competitive opportunities where demand and resources allow. Follow up after the first session, ask for feedback and track how many newcomers return. If people leave, try to understand why and use what you learn.

Chapter 5 of Leading a Grassroots Sports Club focuses on female participation, with practical ways clubs can attract, develop and retain more women and girls.

A useful starting point this week: speak to five to ten women or girls about their experience of your club or what would encourage them to join. Involve parents or carers where appropriate, while making sure girls can share their own views. Then agree one improvement, who will lead it and when it will happen.

Find out more about the book here: https://www.routledge.com/Leading-a-Grassroots-Sports-Club-A-Practical-Guide-to-Managing-and-Developing-Your-Club/Wilson/p/book/9781041094883?srsltid=AfmBOooMPgFpXYSGYwNBOLxrR6mYShU8mWeM_rbVCGlipdpjnsfqlqVD

If you’re a sports league or federation, send me a DM to explore how we can build a club development or knowledge-sharing programme that gives your grassroots clubs the practical tools, skills and confidence to develop.

Next week: How do you protect your club? Could one incident seriously damage its future?

#GrassrootsSport #WomenInSport #FemaleParticipation #ClubDevelopment

About Geoff Wilson

Geoff runs his own consultancy business, with a focus primarily on sport.  Previously Head of Marketing and Communications at the Irish FA, Geoff now consults to a wide range of global sports organisations on areas such as strategic planning, marketing and communications, digital, fan engagement, public affairs, women’s football, league development, club development and knowledge sharing / capacity building programmes.  Geoff has created numerous academic models for the sports industry.  Geoff is on the Advisory Panel at the English Football League and Chair of the Sports Council Trust Company (Sport England organisation).

Geoff has written a book which focuses on ‘developing grassroots sports clubs’ to order a copy check out https://www.routledge.com/Leading-a-Grassroots-Sports-Club-A-Practical-Guide-to-Managing-and-Developing-Your-Club/Wilson/p/book/9781041094883?srsltid=AfmBOooMPgFpXYSGYwNBOLxrR6mYShU8mWeM_rbVCGlipdpjnsfqlqVD

1.  Check out Geoff’s online course in strategic planning at https://geoffwilson.teachable.com/

2.  The other sports models created or co created by Geoff can be found below:

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